Nangong Yan was initially surprised by the sudden visit of the young man outside the door, but as soon as he mentioned Nangong Qingcheng's name, her expression tensed up: "Inside!"
After speaking irritably, she pushed the door aside and walked back to the ward without looking back.
The young man outside was slightly startled, but he wasn't angry. He still courteously carried flowers and gifts as he walked in. At a glance, he saw Nangong Qingcheng standing by the Old Master's hospital bed and smiled even more gentlemanly: "Lady Nangong, do you remember me? We met the day before yesterday!"
Nangong Qingcheng frowned slightly; of course, she recognized this young man.
The day before yesterday, in an effort to hire a ship to find Jiang Feng and Chu Feifei, she had no choice but to contact a shipyard company in North City.
At that time, many civilian vessels were unwilling to take on the job, and only this shipyard company was willing to dispatch a boat for rescue. Naturally, the price demanded was exceptionally high.
Nangong Qingcheng nearly spent all the savings she had accumulated from managing the company over the years. When paying, it was this young man responsible for collecting the fee and dispatching the ship at the dock.
According to those sailors, the young man was the young master of the shipyard company and was very courteous and helpful to Nangong Qingcheng at the time, making her think he was a good person.
But unexpectedly, he showed up tonight!
"Young Master Shi, what are you here for?" Nangong Qingcheng asked with a frown.
"Miss Qingcheng, I'm naturally here to visit Old Sir Nangong. I heard your grandfather fell ill and was diagnosed with a tumor, unpredictable fortune, so I came specifically out of concern." The young man raised the gifts in his hand and smiled.
He said he came to visit Old Sir Nangong, but his expression and demeanor didn't look like someone visiting a patient!
And as soon as he entered, his eyes never left Nangong Qingcheng, leaving Nangong Yan and Jin Shixiang feeling like they were unnecessary.
Nangong Yan's expression turned even more unpleasant. She hated this the most; whenever she and Nangong Qingcheng were present, it seemed all their same-age male peers only had eyes for Nangong Qingcheng and never for her!
Meanwhile, Jin Shixiang was trying hard to search his social circle to recall if he had ever heard of someone with the surname Shi!
"Young Master Shi, we are not familiar with each other, are we? You don't need to visit my grandfather," Nangong Qingcheng said flatly.
"Miss Qingcheng, that sounds distant. Did you know that besides our employer and employment relationship, there's another connection between us?" The young man smiled and said, "I'm a new student at North City University of Finance and Economics, like you, I was also supposed to be the liaison for that exchange meeting. If it weren't for the car accident, I would be the one dealing with you. So, from that angle, we're also classmates, and as a classmate, isn't it right for me to visit your relatives?"
The young man's words were grandiose, but Nangong Qingcheng's frown deepened!
She hadn't expected him to be from the Business School of Finance University.
However, she now knew that the exchange meeting was entirely a conspiracy, orchestrated by the Han family in collusion with the North City villain Mr. Scar and others to set up her and Chu Feifei!
Now, the young man still brought up this matter? Isn't he intentionally provoking her pain?
"Even if we are classmates, we're not from the same school. I understand your kindness, please leave, and it's not appropriate for us to accept gifts. I'll thank you on behalf of my grandfather," Nangong Qingcheng said with even less goodwill.
After that exchange meeting fell apart, officials from both schools, including Dean Ji, were pursued relentlessly by their respective institutions, receiving severe punishment.
Only Han Shiliang, due to his deep background, remained untouchable and continued his prestigious position as vice dean.
The young man might have intended to use this to please Nangong Qingcheng and build a closer relationship, but he couldn't have imagined it backfired, making Nangong Qingcheng even more disgusted!
"Miss Qingcheng, why are you pushing me away like this? My intentions are genuine; it's not proper hospitality for you to treat me this way." Seeing Nangong Qingcheng's tone growing colder, the young man finally found himself in an awkward position.
He sighed and tried to maintain his composure: "Alright, I admit, apart from visiting the Old Sir, I came mainly because I wanted to get to know Miss Qingcheng more deeply."
"After that brief meeting at the dock, I couldn't stop thinking about Miss Qingcheng, night and day. I also found out you're the coordinator of Binhai University's exchange meeting, which further convinced me it was destiny for us to meet, although human factors disrupted our encounter. Fortunately, we've come to know each other through other means—Heaven seems to approve of us. I believe Miss Qingcheng, you wouldn't reject my kindness, would you?"
This guy went on and on, finally getting to the point, expressing his interest in Nangong Qingcheng in front of Nangong Yan and Jin Shixiang.
Nangong Yan, upon hearing this, only got more furious, internally cursing Nangong Qingcheng out of jealousy: Vixen!
In truth, it wasn't that Nangong Qingcheng was a vixen, but with her beauty, it was hard not to fall for her at first sight.
There has always been the saying "gentlemen favor fair maidens," since ancient times. Upon seeing a beautiful woman, aren't men all creatures of desire? Beauty, to a certain extent, is a curse; even if these women don't actively seek trouble, they are always remembered by those with the intent.
"Young Master Shi, I hope you'll be more respectful; this is my grandfather's ward, not a place for you to say such things. You should show basic respect to the patient!" Nangong Qingcheng, suppressing her anger, said coldly, "And I don't have any feelings for you, please don't seek me out again, and take care of yourself!"
"I…" The young man didn't expect Nangong Qingcheng to reject him so straightforwardly, leaving him in an awkward position, followed by a strong embarrassment and anger!
He came here today after doing considerable homework, taking the initiative to visit.
Moreover, he was raised in luxury from a young age, rarely facing rejection. Now, Nangong Qingcheng has truly left him without any face!
"Nangong Qingcheng, are you certain you want to be this resolute? You may not realize it, not just any girl can capture Shi Lang's heart. I've already helped you; even if you don't appreciate it, don't offend me. Think carefully about everything!" The young man's face changed, speaking in a tone that carried an implicit threat.
"Wait… wait!" At this moment, Jin Shixiang, who had been listening for a while, finally heard the young man's name, staring at him in disbelief: "This… this young master, what did you say your name was?"
"Shi Lang! Why, do I need to change my name here at your place?" Shi Lang coldly replied to Jin Shixiang.
"You mean Shi Lang, the young master of Shi's Overseas Trading Company? The son of Binhai City's fourth wealthiest man, Mr. Shi Guanlin?" Jin Shixiang timidly asked.
Hearing this, Nangong Yan's expression also changed dramatically!
She hadn't expected that the young master who came uninvited was actually Shi Lang! The son of North City's wealthiest man!